A marketing manager at a 30-person company spent two hours searching for the correct logo before a conference deadline. She found twelve different logo files across Google Drive, her desktop, an old email from 2022, and her predecessor's shared folder. She didn't know which was the current version. She wasn't sure which format the conference needed.
She sent what looked most recent. The conference organiser used it. The printed backdrop showed their old logo — the one with the previous company name — because it had the most recent "modified" date on her desktop.
This is not an edge case. It happens constantly. The fix isn't complicated, but it requires intentional structure.
Why Brand Asset Chaos Is Expensive
Every time a team member hunts for a logo, they burn time. Every time they pick the wrong version, your brand gets represented inconsistently. Every time a freelancer or agency asks "where do I find your logo?" and your answer is "I'll email it to you," you introduce another point of failure.
The cost is distributed and invisible — no single incident is catastrophic — but compounded over a year across a growing team, it adds up to significant wasted time and inconsistent brand presentation.
A brand asset library solves this. It's a single, organised, maintained source of truth for everything visual about your brand.
What a Brand Asset Library Needs to Contain
Logo files (primary, secondary, icon)
For each logo variant, you need:
- AI or EPS — the master vector file (never sent to external parties, kept as the source)
- SVG — vector for web use
- PNG transparent — for digital use on any background
- PNG white background — for contexts that don't support transparency
- PNG reversed/white version — for dark backgrounds
- PDF — for print vendors who don't accept AI/EPS
Organise these as:
/Logo
/Primary
logo-primary.ai
logo-primary.eps
logo-primary.svg
logo-primary-transparent.png
logo-primary-white-bg.png
logo-primary-reversed.png
logo-primary.pdf
/Icon
logo-icon.svg
logo-icon.png
logo-icon-reversed.png
/Secondary (if applicable)
logo-secondary.svg
...
Use consistent naming. Never call a file "logo_FINAL_v3_USE THIS ONE.png." That's how you end up with twelve files and no idea which is current.
Typography
Include the font files (OTF or TTF) for all brand typefaces, plus documentation for web fonts (Google Fonts URLs or web font embed codes). Include a PDF showing how the fonts look in use — useful for freelancers who set up their own environments.
If you use licensed fonts, note the license type and any restrictions (web embedding, number of users, etc.).
Colour swatches
A file (AI, PDF, or ASE/Adobe Swatch Exchange format) containing all brand colours with:
- HEX values (digital)
- RGB values (screen)
- CMYK values (print)
- Pantone values (if you have them)
A simple one-page PDF colour reference that anyone can print and use without design software is enormously practical.
Brand guidelines document
One PDF that shows:
- How to use the logo (clear space, minimum size, correct placements)
- Incorrect uses (don't stretch, don't recolour, don't add effects)
- Colour palette in use
- Typography hierarchy
- Photography and illustration style (if applicable)
This doesn't need to be 50 pages. A tight 8–12 page brand guide covers everything most teams need. Read more about what brand guidelines should include.
Supporting assets
- Icons or illustration set (if you have branded iconography)
- Photography library (if you have brand photography)
- Template files (email headers, presentation decks, social media templates)
- Patterns or textures (if part of your identity)
Where to Host It
The location matters less than the discipline. Options:
Google Drive or Dropbox: Accessible to most people without software. Good for sharing with external partners and agencies. Risk: people add files without discipline and it becomes disorganised. Use strong folder structure and limit write access.
Notion or Confluence: Good for embedding the brand guide alongside the files. The brand guidelines can live as a Notion page with download links to the assets. Readable for everyone, even non-designers.
Brand management platforms (Frontify, Bynder, Brandfolder): Designed specifically for this purpose. They enforce structure, show asset previews, track downloads, and let you control access. Worth it for companies with large teams or frequent external sharing. Expensive for small companies.
A simple shared drive with strict naming conventions: For a 5–10 person company, this works perfectly if everyone respects the structure.
Whatever you use: one location. Not "Drive plus the creative server plus what's on Jake's desktop." One canonical location, and that's where everything lives.
The Maintenance Problem
A brand asset library only works if it's maintained. Most decay over time because:
- New logo versions get saved in random places and never updated in the library
- Team members save personal copies and use those instead of the library
- The person who created the structure leaves and nobody knows the system
To prevent this:
- Name one person as the brand asset owner. They're responsible for keeping the library updated.
- Set a quarterly review. 30 minutes, check that everything is current and nothing new has been added outside the system.
- Make the library easy to find. If it takes more than two clicks from the company intranet or Slack, people won't use it.
- Brief freelancers and agencies on where to find assets — every time. It takes 60 seconds and prevents them from using a three-year-old logo from a Google Image search.
Start With the Right Source Files
Before you can build a proper library, you need the right source files. If you only have JPEGs and PNGs — no vector files — you don't have a complete set. If your logo files came from a designer years ago and you're not sure what's in them, check that they're actually what they claim to be (see our post on whether your logo is truly vector).
If your file set is incomplete, we prepare the full production-ready package as part of our complete logo file handoff — every format, every variation, properly named and organised.
Get a Complete, Organised Logo File Set
We deliver every file your team needs — vector source, web PNGs, print-ready PDFs — properly named and ready to drop into your brand library.
At minimum: logo files in all formats (AI/EPS, SVG, PNG transparent, PNG white background, PDF), brand colour values (HEX, RGB, CMYK, Pantone), font files, and a brand guidelines PDF. Supporting assets include icon sets, photography, and template files.
Brand guidelines are a document explaining how to use your brand. A brand asset library is the collection of files — logos, fonts, colours, templates — ready for use. They complement each other: guidelines without assets are instructions without tools; assets without guidelines lead to inconsistent use.
Create one canonical location for brand assets and make sure everyone knows it. Remove old files from shared drives if possible. Brief every new hire on where the official assets live. Naming files with version numbers (logo-v2.svg) is less reliable than just removing old files.
A shared drive is fine for teams under 20. Brand management platforms (Frontify, Bynder) add real value for larger teams, frequent external sharing, and when you need asset usage tracking. Don't pay for a platform you don't need — start with a well-structured Google Drive.
Whenever your brand changes — after a rebrand, logo refresh, or new asset creation. Schedule a quick quarterly review to verify nothing is out of date. The biggest risk isn't updating too rarely; it's creating new assets outside the system without adding them.
Very few people — ideally one person owns it. Everyone else gets read/download access only. When anyone can add files, the library becomes disorganised quickly. Centralise the gatekeeping and make it easy for people to request new assets through the owner.
Quick Answers
I can't find the original logo file. Where do I start?
Check your email for the original delivery from your designer. If you can't find it, you may need to have the logo rebuilt from whatever you have — a PNG from your website is usually enough to vectorize from.
What's the best way to share logo files with an outside agency?
Share a download link from your brand asset library — don't email individual files. This ensures they have the current version and you're not managing multiple copies in inboxes.
My designer gave me ten different logo files and I don't know what any of them are for.
Check the dimensions and format. SVG and AI are for vector use, PNG transparent is for digital, PDF is for print. If you still can't tell, ask your designer for a delivery note — they should explain what each file is for.
Do I need to include font files in my brand asset library?
Yes, especially if you use purchased fonts. Team members and agencies need the font files to match your typography. Include the OTF or TTF files and note the license restrictions.
How small is too small for a brand asset library?
Even a one-person business benefits from organised files. A simple folder structure with the right files prevents hours of searching and ensures you always send the right format.